Racing (bike)...Flat out

I've discovered a number of things this week about training…

1. I can't train on an empty stomach
2. I get grumpy after training on an empty stomach
3. Eating dinner at 10:30 p.m. is too late
4. Trying to pedal a bike with a flat tyre on a turbo trainer is hard work

Now, you might want to point out that these are all pretty obvious issues... and I'd whole-heartedly agree.

The nutrition prior to, during and post-race is going to be an interesting issue for me to manage. The Ironman race will start at 7 a.m., I suspect I'll have to get up around 4:30 a.m. to get ready and have a decent enough breakfast prior to swimming. Given it's a long way, I'd love to stop for a snack on the way round - so send your suggestions via carrier pigeon, a postcard or even the comments section on this page.  Extra points will be awarded for easily concealable snacks that will aid my buoyancy and help me glide through the 3.8km!!!

Running has gone quite well this week; I've completed another 10km on Wednesday night whilst the junior Galls were attending their Tae Kwon Do training. Today I've put another 5km on the training record with a treadmill run, followed by weights and stretches.

Swimming on Tuesday was great and I'll miss the sessions over the next couple of weeks as the pool closes for the school's October holidays. Managed another 2km swim today in a fairly steady pace… although If I could sort out my body position in the water I suspect I could take 20 seconds off per 100m easily… that would equate to about 12 or 13 minutes over 3.8 km.

Biking on Thursday was really tough… Old Mother Hubbard's pantry was more well stocked than our fridge and I struggled to squeeze family life (i.e. shopping / dog walking / homework (my kids) / homework (mine) / eating) into the short few hours between arriving home from work and collapsing into bed. I ended up starting my session at 8:45 p.m. and starting to cook tea at 10:15 p.m. at which point I was so hungry I was eating anything I could grab from the cupboard… not ideal.

Instead of swimming last night I decided to do another turbo session on the bike. I soon spotted that the rear tyre was as flat as a bottle of diet coke that has had a pack of mentos added (if you've not tried this check out the video below)…

Must admit, even though I then needed to change a tyre and inner tube before starting my session, I was pretty relieved that there was a decent reason why Thursday's 75 minute session was HARD work!! 

My S1 classes will all no doubt remind me that pressure is caused by tiny gas atoms / molecules bouncing off the walls of the inner tube… and that if there are holes in said inner tube / tyre then these particles will escape and mix with the air in a process called diffusion.  My daughter's primary school class will know that trying to cycle on a flat tyre is hard work - so how I didn't spot that is beyond me.

I've now ordered a specific turbo trainer tyre which will no doubt see some serious action over the next few months given any outside rides will be limited to the weekends.

Next on the agenda is a bike fit for and (hopefully) purchase of a triathlon bike and a new turbo trainer with power analysis / real time video software… ohhhhh the credit card is going to take a serious hit soon!  And here I thought may car obsession was an expensive hobby… eek.